3  1822  00204  5979 


3  1822  "66264  "5979 


f 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


THE   UN.'VhRSITY   LIBRARY 

JNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SAN  DIEGO 

LA  JOLLA,  CALIFORNIA 


PETER 

and 

THE  FAIRIES 

BY 

ARTHUR  HENRY 


CHICAGO 

BROTHERS  OF  THE  BOOK 
1913 


COPYRIGHT  1905  BY 
A.  S.  BARNES  &  COMPANY 

COPYRIGHT  1913 

BY  THE 
BROTHERS  OF  THE  BOOK 


l  little  people*  are 
still  with  us 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 

ANCY'S  copying  of 
fice  was  on  the  thir 
teenth  floor  ofone  of 
the  great  office  build 
ings  on  lower  Broad 
way.  There  were  two 
rooms,  with  windows  looking  over  a 
wide  stretch  of  the  world  below. 

As  I  entered  Nancy  was  busy  with 
a  customer.  As  she  stood  before  him, 
looking  up  talking,  she  sometimes 
raised  upon  her  tiptoes,  and  then  her 
head  came  almost  to  his  chin.  She 
was  a  very  small  body,  but,  for  all  that, 
the  place  seemed  filled  with  her.  She 
gave  me  a  quick  glance,  her  blue  eyes 
sparkling  with  enterprise,  smiled  as  if 
she  had  known  me  always,  and  asked 


Peter  and  "The  Fairies 


me  to  be  seated.     "Just  a  moment, 
please." 

The  first  impression  of  these  rooms 
was  of  their  cheery  atmosphere,  and 
this  impression  has  remained.  There 
were  four  very  contented-looking  girls 
in  the  inner  office.  I  never  heard  a 
brisker  or  more  continuous  sound  of 
operation,  but  I  noticed  that  from  time 
to  time  these  girls  at  their  typewriters 
cast  pleasant  glances  through  a  row  of 
windows.  They  could  see  a  narrow 
strip  of  the  city,  more  than  a  mile  of 
the  broad  North  River,  and  the  cities 
and  the  hills  of  New  Jersey.  They 
could  note  the  ocean  steamers  as  they 
left  and  entered  their  slips,  the  barges, 
sailing  vessels,  tugs  and  yachts,  and 
the  ferryboats  criss-crossing  like  mag 
netic  toys. 

[  8] 


Peter  and  'The  Fairies 


"  Come,"  the  man  was  saying,  "I 
must  have  it  in  the  morning." 

"Well,"  answered  Nancy,  "we  can 
do  it  for  you  in  time,  but  it  will  mean 
late  hours." 

"All  right.  Now,  what  will  it  cost?" 

"The  regular  rate  is  fifteen  cents 
a  page  for  the  typewriting,  and  ten 
dollars  a  thousand  for  the  mimeo 
graphing.  That  will  be  sixteen."  She 
looked  sweetly  up  at  him,  and  added, 
in  a  soft,  persuasive  voice,  "Ten  dol 
lars  extra  for  the  late  hours.  That  will 
make  it  twenty-six  in  all." 

"Whew!"  he  exclaimed,  "That's 
pretty  steep,  isn't  it?" 

"Oh,  but,"  she  said,  still  holding  his 
eyes  with  her  own,  "just  think  how 
badly  you  need  it.  It  would  be  a 
pleasure  to  work  for  you  all  night  for 

[9] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


nothing,  but  we  won't  insist  upon  it. 
You  would  rather  pay  us,  I  know." 

He  looked  into  her  smiling  face, 
so  pleasant,  shrewd  and  girlish,  and 
laughed  gleefully. 

"Well,  I  should  say  I  would!"  he 
exclaimed,  and  left  the  order. 

"Andnow?"  she  asked,  comingover 
to  me. 

"  I  would  like  to  dictate  something." 

"Letters?" 

"No;  a  fairy  tale."  She  laughed 
merrily. 

"Do  you  know  our  prices?" 

"No." 

"A  dollar  an  hour." 

"It  won't  take  long,"  I  said,  "for 
it  is  written.  I  will  dictate  from  the 
manuscript  and  you  may  take  it  on 
your  machine." 

[  10  ] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


"Well,  now,  if  you  don't  mind  in 
terruptions  I  will  take  it  myself.  Of 
course,"  she  added,  smiling,  "I  won't 
charge  you  for  the  interruptions." 

She  brought  a  table  and  typewriter, 
and  sat  briskly  down  beside  me.  She 
adjusted  the  paper,  looked  at  me,  smiled 
andwaited,her  capablelittle  hands  hov 
ering  over  the  keys. 

We  were  in  the  reception  room, 
and  I,  seated  before  her  desk,  could  see 
over  the  lower  buildings  the  spires  of 
St.  Patrick's  Cathedral,  faint  and  blue, 
and  fainter  yet,  Grant's  Tomb.  The 
sun  shone  over  the  spreading  mass  of 
clean  buildings,  flashed  from  exposed 
window  panes,  and  tinted  the  clouds  of 
white  steam  rising  from  the  roofs. 

Viewed  from  this  window,  the  city 
was    altogether    a    fair    and    shining 
[  n  ] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


thing.  Only  a  far-off,  pleasant  mur 
mur  rose  from  below.  The  personal 
ity  of  individuals  was  lost,  and  only 
that  of  the  city  remained  —  a  person 
ality  prosperous,  hopeful,  luxurious, 
ambitious,  vast  in  its  serene,  progres 
sive  contentment  and  egotism. 

I  began  the  story.  "  When  Old  Peter 
the  Rich  gave  up  his  business  and  his 
mansion  in  the  village  and  went  to 
live  in  the  forest  with  his  daughter 
Susette,  he  turned  over  all  his  posses 
sions  to  his  brother  Abner,  on  con 
dition  that  he  should  provide  for  his 
grandson,  little  Peter  Forester,  when 
the  time  came.  It  was  with  a  last 
thought  for  this  little  likeness  of  all 
that  was  good  in  his  own  youth,  and 
a  prayer  for  his  blessing,  that  Old 
Peter  died.  His  death  brought  a  great 
[  12  ] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


change  to  little  Peter.  He  had  known 
no  other  playfellow  except  the  fairies, 
and  it  had  been  only  through  his 
grandfather  that  he  had  known  them. 
After  his  death  he  suddenly  realized 
that  he  had  never  really  seen  the  little 
people,  unless,  indeed,  it  had  been  in 
his  babyhood.  He  half-remembered 
their  figures  perched  upon  his  cradle, 
and  could  sometimes  hear  a  faint  echo 
of  their  merry  voices.  As  soon  as  Peter 
was  big  enough  his  father  would  some 
times  take  him  for  a  day's  patrol  of  the 
forest.  These  were  times  of  mingled 
pleasure  and  disappointment.  When 
they  started  in  the  early  morning  the 
boy's  heart  was  full  of  excitement. 
The  squirrels  cocked  knowing  eyes  at 
him;  a  sparrow,  evidently  on  the  watch, 
darted  eagerly  ahead.  Woodpeckers 

[  13  ] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


sent  flying  signals  through  the  forest 
and  thrushes,  finches  and  bluebirds  flit 
ted  about  him  as  if  impatient  at  his 
slow  approach. 

"'Come,  father,'  he  would  cry  in 
his  delight,  'let  us  hurry,  for  the  fairies 
will  appear  to-day/ 

"  Before  the  day  was  over  he  lagged 
behind,  troubled  because  he  could  see 
and  hear  so  little,  and  then  his  father, 
taking  his  hand,  would  say,  'You  are 
tired,  little  man/ 

"In  the  evening  he  sat  silently  on 
the  doorsill,  looking  wistfully  into  the 
forest,  listening  for  those  little  familiar 
ones  whom  he  was  not  sure  he  had 
ever  seen." 

Nancy  was  called  away  by  a  cus 
tomer,  who  had  closed  the  door  be 
hind  him  briskly.  He  had  brought 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


an  order  for  one  hundred  mimeograph 
letters,  but  she,  from  her  tiptoes,  told 
him  that  while  one  hundred  might 
be  enough  for  him,  it  would  be  more 
profitable  for  her  if  he  should  order 
five  hundred  or  a  thousand.  He  ven 
tured  to  discuss  the  matter,  and  she 
got  the  extra  order.  She  returned  to 
me,  smiling  sweetly  in  apology. 

"When  Peter  was  fifteen  years  old 
his  uncle  Abner  took  him  to  the  vil 
lage  to  live.  He  did  not  do  this 
with  any  pleasure,  but  if  Peter  were 
to  have  a  share  in  the  fortune  he  must 
help  to  increase  it.  As  Peter  went 
with  him,  all  the  way  from  the  cot 
tage  to  the  town  his  heart,  looking 
both  ways  at  once,  viewed  his  home 
with  tender  regret  and  the  town  with 
eager  anticipations.  His  room  in  the 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


great  house  looked  into  the  garden  of 
a  neighbor,  and  he  saw,  in  place  of 
the  forest,  a  prim  little  lawn,  a  few 
orderly  flower-beds  and  a  contented- 
looking  cottage  covered  with  vines. 
He  sighed  as  he  stood  by  the  win 
dow  on  the  first  night.  The  few  trees 
in  the  garden  seemed  to  speak  an 
other  language  than  those  of  the  for 
est.  There  was  something  fretful  in 
the  piping  of  a  few  lonely  crickets. 
Here  in  the  midst  of  the  town,  when 
for  the  first  time  he  was  to  dwell  with 
hundreds  of  his  kind,  this  little  crea 
ture  of  the  companionable  woods  felt 
utterly  alone.  He  awakened  early  the 
next  morning,  and  thought  at  first  it 
was  because  of  the  birds  that  usually 
aroused  him.  By  a  window  opposite 
his  own  stood  a  little  girl,  singing  gaily 
[  16] 


A*        Peter  and  The  Fairies        & 

as  she  fastened  a  pink  bow  in  her 
hair." 

We  were  again  interrupted  by  a  cus 
tomer  with  an  order  to  be  filled  at 
once. 

"We  cannot  possibly  do  it  until  to 
morrow,"  said  Nancy,  taking  his  manu 
script  from  him,  however,  and  folding 
it  to  her  breast. 

"Oh,  but  you  must." 

"You  wanted  this  yesterday?"  she 
asked. 

"Yes,"  he  assented  eagerly,  think 
ing  he  had  made  his  point.  "I  should 
have  attended  to  it  yesterday." 

"Surely,"  she  said,  "you  can't  ex 
pect  me  to  do  more  than  you  have 
done." 

It  was  her  soft  voice,  the  pleasant 
accent  on  the  "me,"  and  "you,"  the 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


irresistible  allurement  of  her  ingen 
uous  eyes  that  convinced  him,  and  he 
agreed  to  wait. 

She  returned  to  me  with  what  I 
thought  was  a  genuine  eagerness,  and 
I  continued  the  tale. 

"Peter  went  down  to  his  uncle 
with  a  light  heart,  which  even  the  un 
friendly  silence  of  the  breakfast  table 
could  not  reach.  'Peter,'  said  his  un 
cle  sharply  as  they  were  leaving  the 
house,  'I  hope  you  intend  to  be  use 
ful  at  once.'  He  slammed  the  great 
iron  gate  behind  them  and  looked 
sternly  down.  *I  can't  have  any  id 
lers  about  me.  What  do  you  know?' 
Peter  would  have  been  distressed  by 
this  had  he  heard  it,  but  he  was  at 
that  moment  looking  toward  the  win 
dow  opposite  his  own.  'Why  don't 
[  18  1 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


you  listen  to  me?'  asked  the  old  man, 
giving  a  twist  to  his  arm.  'You  hurt 
me,'  said  Peter.  His  uncle  relaxed  his 
grip  and  walked  on  in  silence.  Pres 
ently  he  said,  in  what  he  intended  for  a 
kindly  manner:  'I  have  no  doubt  that 
you  will  soon  be  useful.  The  great 
thing  in  life  is  to  be  able  to  cajole  or 
force  others  to  do  of  their  own  free 
will  the  things  that  are  profitable  for 
you. 

"'I  now  possess  land  and  dwellings 
once  held  dearer  than  life  by  their 
owners,  but  mark  you,  Peter,  these 
good  people  were  glad  to  give  them 
over,  and  escape  with  their  hides  be 
fore  I  was  through  with  them.  Some 
of  them  I  have  been  able  to  em 
ploy  to  my  profit,  thereby  securing 
not  only  their  property,  but  their  ser- 
[  19  1 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


vices  and  gratitude  as  well.  To  some 
I  have  leased  their  former  possessions, 
for  they  were  willing  to  pay  more  than 
others;  so  you  see  that  even  the  ten- 
derest  sentiments  have  their  uses.  In 
dealing  with  men,  one  must  not  ignore 
their  virtues.' 

"As  they  reached  the  center  of  the 
square  he  pointed  to  the  town  pump, 
about  which  wasgatheredamerry  group 
with  buckets. 

"  '  I  will  giveyouat  once,'  said  Abner, 
looking  from  the  pump  to  Peter  and 
from  Peter  to  the  pump,  'an  oppor 
tunity  to  be  useful.  The  town  pump 
is  a  great  public  evil.  It  encourages 
people  in  idleness  and  gossiping,  and 
teaches  them  the  bad  habit  of  getting 
something  for  nothing.  It  needs  only 
a  little  wit  to  induce  them  to  tear  it 


20 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


down  and  close  up  the  well.  If  they 
dig  wells  of  their  own  they  must  come 
to  us  for  their  tools,  and  it  may  be 
that  a  larger  quantity  of  our  wines 
will  be  used.  So  you  see  already  you 
have  something  to  think  of  at  spare 
times.' 

"As  Peter  listened  with  his  mouth 
open,  the  laughter  and  chatter  of  the 
people  as  they  filled  each  other's  buck 
ets  lost  its  merriment. 

"It  was  a  tragic  day  for  Peter,  but 
that  night  as  he  stood  again  by  his 
window,  the  moonlight  falling  over 
the  neighboring  cottage  finally  illum 
inated  his  own  heart  as  if  with  a  re 
flected  and  softened  radiance.  In  the 
morning  he  was  awakened  by  the  song 
of  the  girl.  He  hurried  to  his  win 
dow,  and  saw  to  his  delight  that  she 
[  21  ] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


was  looking  in  his  direction,  as  if 
expecting  him.  She  smiled  when  he 
appeared,  and  then,  as  if  her  mission 
were  performed,  flitted  away  like  the 
birds  of  his  forest  when  they  had  called 
to  him." 

Again  the  door  opened.  This  time 
Nancy  looked  up  with  vacant  eyes, 
and  in  a  voice  that  sounded  far  away 
asked  one  of  her  girls  to  attend  to 
customers  when  they  came  in.  She 
drew  a  screen  about  us.  She  lifted  the 
carriage  of  her  machine  and  read, 
"Like  the  birds  of  his  forest  when 
they  had  called  to  him."  "Go  on," 
she  said.  The  lines  sounded  beautiful 
as  she  read  them.  Perhaps  it  was  her 
voice  and  eyes.  And  then,  in  our  little 
enclosure,  the  rest  of  the  story  seemed 
real  to  us. 

[    22    ] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


"Peter  greeted  his  uncle  cheer 
fully  at  breakfast,  because  he  was  not 
thinking  of  him,  and  Abner  was  also 
agreeable,  because  he  already  saw  in 
his  nephew  a  promising  youth. 

"That  day  Peter  was  put  upon  a 
high  stool  and  a  pile  of  great  books 
placed  before  him. 

"'You  must  first  learn  everything 
in  these  by  heart,'  said  his  uncle, 
'for  many  difficult  things  can  easily  be 
managed  if  a  man  knows  how  others 
have  succeeded  or  failed,  if  he  can 
construe  the  laws  for  himself  and  fig 
ure  nimbly.' 

"Peter's  instructor  was  a  little,  with 
ered  old  man  named  Jacob.  He  was 
one  of  those  who  had  seen  his  house 
and  garden  mysteriously  pass  into  the 
hands  of  Abner  Rich,  and  who  now 
[  23  ] 


A*        Peter  and  The  Fairies        <J* 

gratefully  served  him  for  permission 
still  to  cultivate  his  flower  and  vege 
table  beds. 

"He  had  but  one  cause  for  anxiety. 
All  his  life  he  had  met  with  delights. 
Every  morning  as  he  worked  in  his 
garden  his  most  familiar  friends,  such 
as  the  beet  or  the  four-o'clock,  the 
lady-bug  or  the  gooseberry  bush,  the 
plum  or  apple  tree,  admitted  him  to  a 
still  closer  intimacy. 

"Jacob  found  that  in  spite  of  every 
effort  to  banish  them  they  would  fol 
low  him  in  swarms  to  his  work.  More 
than  once  Abner  had  discovered  him 
gazing  dreamily  away  from  his  account 
books. 

" '  Come,  Jacob,'  he  would  say,  'per 
haps  you  have  worked  enough  in  your 
lifetime.  If  you  don't  wish  to  keep 
[24  ] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


the  place  where  you  live  any  longer  I 
can  rent  it.' 

"At  this  every  thought  of  delight 
was  swept  away  in  a  panic,  and  Jacob 
would  pounce  upon  his  books  like  a 
ravenous  bird. 

"All  the  time  that  he  was  teaching 
Peter  to  read,  and  whenever  a  book  was 
before  him,  he  felt  the  most  perfect 
content.  For  what  word  is  there,  what 
sentence  however  dry  or  evil,  but  re 
veals  a  world  of  beauty  to  such  as  he? 

"One  day  he  said  to  Peter,  'Last 
night  the  fairies  brought  the  pollen  to 
my  poppies.' 

"'Did  you  see  them?'  cried  Peter, 
almost  jumping  from  his  stool. 

"'Oh,  no,'  said  Jacob.  'They  just 
brought  the  pollen  and  slipped  away.' 

"But  the  time  came  when  Jacob 
[25  ] 


Peter  and  'The  Fairies 


and  Peter  could  no  longer  read  to 
gether. 

"'It  is  time,'  said  Abner,  'that  you 
should  use  what  you  know.' 

"After  this  Peter  saw  nothing  all 
day  but  long  columns  of  figures.  He 
sat  perched  upon  his  stool  hour  after 
hour,  the  great  ledgers  spread  before 
him.  He  looked  at  the  figures  until 
they  danced.  It  became  necessary  after 
awhile  to  pin  each  one  with  his  pen  to 
hold  it  in  place. 

"He  could  not  do  it.  Before  a 
month  had  passed  he  no  longer  tried, 
but  sat  with  his  hot  face  buried  in  his 
hands,  his  thoughts  sometimes  busy 
with  his  haunts  in  the  forest,  some 
times  lost  in  smiling  contemplation 
of  the  little  girl  at  her  window.  He 
had  never  spoken  with  her,  although 
[  26  ] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


he  knew  there  had  been  times  when  he 
might  have  done  so.  Once  she  called 
him  by  a  song  from  the  garden.  She 
was  standing  near  the  gate  between  the 
two  enclosures,  dressed  in  a  pretty  blue 
and  white  frock,  with  wide  blue  sash 
and  blue  ribbons  in  her  hair.  He  could 
not  have  joined  her,  because  his  uncle 
was  already  at  breakfast.  He  did  not 
speak  to  her,  for  the  forest,  the  song 
and  the  smile  of  the  girl,  and  the  long 
columns  of  figures  were  confusing  his 
thoughts.  There  were  tears  in  his  eyes 
when  he  entered  the  breakfast-room. 
He  dropped  listlessly  in  his  chair. 

"  '  What's  the  matter  ?  '  asked  his 
uncle  sharply. 

"  *I  am  tired,'  said  the  boy. 

"Abner  cast  a  look  of  displeasure 
upon  him,  but  said  nothing. 

[   27] 


A*        Peter  and  The  Fairies        & 

"That  day  he  came  suddenly  to  the 
desk  where  Peter  sat  and  found  him 
bent  over  a  ledger  long  out  of  use. 
The  book  that  he  should  have  been 
working  on  was  discovered  where 
it  had  been  hastily  slipped  by  Jacob 
under  a  pile  of  his  own. 

"Every  day  for  a  long  time  the 
watchful  Jacob  had  made  this  ex 
change,  unknown  to  Peter  or  to  any 
one,  and  so  the  shortcomings  of  the 
boy  had  gone  unnoticed. 

"Abner  discovered  all  this  at  a 
glance,  for  the  accounts  were  all  in 
Jacob's  hand. 

"'Go  back  to  the  fools  that  own 
you,'  he  shouted,  pushing  Peter  from 
his  stool.  *I  want  none  of  you  and 
you  shall  have  none  of  mine.' 

"He  turned  toward  Jacob,  who  was 
[  28  ] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


standing  white  and  trembling  by  his 
desk. 

"  '  I  will  need  that  house  where  you 
live.  Get  your  old  woman  and  go  — 
nothing  else  there  belongs  to  you.' 

"Peter  took  the  old  man  by  the 
hand  and  led  him  home. 

"'  Where  will  you  go?'  said  he, 
when  they  had  reached  the  gate. 

"'I  will  not  know  when  I  leave,' 
said  Jacob,  feebly.  '  I  will  die  in  my 
garden,'  he  added,  looking  tenderly 
toward  the  flowers,  the  vines  and  the 
vegetables.  *  The  fairies  and  my  friends 
will  protect  me/ 

"A  moment  more  and  he  seemed  to 
have  forgotten  the  calamity  that  threat 
ened  him.  He  stood  in  his  garden  like 
one  listening  to  the  greetings  of  a  troop 
of  merry  children. 

[  29] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


"Peter  hurried  away.  He  was  anx 
ious  now  only  to  get  home  that  he 
might  send  his  father  to  help  old 
Jacob.  His  heart  was  heavy  as  he 
looked  for  a  last  time  over  his  shoulder 
at  the  window  of  the  little  girl. 

"'She  will  sing  there  in  the  morn 
ing  and  I  will  not  see  her.' 

"That  night  Peter  slept  in  his  old 
room  in  the  forest  cottage.  He  was 
awakened  by  a  clear,  sweet  sound, 
such  as  sometimes  visits  the  dreams  of 
innocence.  He  sat  up  in  his  bed  and 
listened,  and  presently  from  far  away 
he  heard  a  voice,  like  the  echo  of  a 
tiny  silver  bell,  calling  him  to  the  for 
est.  There  was  a  path  of  light  from 
his  bed  to  the  window.  Dressing  has 
tily,  he  clambered  to  the  ground  by 
the  vines  that  covered  the  cottage, 
[  30] 


Peter  and  'The  Fairies 


and  hurried  through  the  forest  in  the 
direction  of  the  moon.  In  all  direc 
tions  the  only  sound  was  the  intermit 
tent  movement  of  the  wind  in  the 
heavy  foliage  —  the  long,  faint  sighs 
which  gave  to  the  profound  darkness 
an  added  ghostliness.  But  Peter  did 
not  think  of  returning.  He  knew  that 
he  had  reached  the  depth  of  the  forest 
and  that  the  great  trees  about  him 
cast  no  evil  shade.  He  knew  how 
tenderly  their  giant  arms  cradled  the 
timid  birds  that  sought  their  shelter. 
He  knew  that  far  above  him  the 
moonlight  rested  on  their  heads  as  lov 
ingly  as  on  the  safe  enclosure  of  his 
father's  house.  And  so,  though  the 
most  inquisitive  of  the  familiar  stars 
could  find  no  crevice  through  which 
to  watch  him,  he  was  not  afraid,  but 

I  31  ] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


stood  quietly  waiting  and  listening  for 
the  voice  that  had  called  him  there. 
He  was  not  prepared,  however,  for 
what  followed.  First,  a  globe  of  light 
as  large  as  an  orange  came  toward  him 
and,  before  he  could  move,  it  broke 
against  his  cheek  like  a  soap  bubble, 
filling  the  air  with  an  odor  of  locust 
blooms.  Then  another  and  another 
came,  breaking  on  his  head  and  hands 
and  shoulders  until  he  was  wet  with  the 
luminous  perfume,  and  the  light  of  these 
shattered  missiles  illuminated  the  hol 
low  in  the  forest  where  he  stood.  He 
heard  the  chiming  sounds  of  revelry 
and  caught  the  flitting  colors  of  car 
nival  gowns  and  the  twinkling  of  busy 
wings.  Then  the  sounds  ceased  and 
the  enquiring  gaze  of  such  a  bewild 
ering  and  brilliant  multitude  would 

[  32  1 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


have  been  impossible  to  bear  had  not 
a  fortunate  diversion  occurred.  Far  up 
the  hollow  stood  what  looked  at  that 
distance  to  be  a  phosphorescent  butter 
ball.  It  was,  however,  the  very  round 
body  of  Chuck-Chucket,  the  jovial- 
souled  gourmand  of  the  fairies.  He 
stood,  or  rather  rested,  like  a  ripe 
plum,  upon  the  top  of  a  tree  stump, 
where,  all  unconscious  of  the  sudden 
silence,  he  continued  his  lusty  song: 

"'Oh,  Time  is  young  and  the  world  is 

green, 

I  drink  to  more  capacity; 
And  here's  to  the  health  of  the  rosy,  posy 

Queen, 
And  here's  to  the  health  of  me.' 

"A  short  arm  appeared  as  if  from 
the  crease  in  the  butter  ball  and  raised 
a  gourd  of  moonshine  from  a  large 

[33  ] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


hollow  in  the  stump.  There  was  a 
melodious  gurgle,  such  as  is  some 
times  heard  when  a  wooden  pump  is 
primed,  followed  by  the  next  verse  of 
the  song: 

"  '  When  the  moon  is  full,  I'll  not  go  lean, 

(Here's  to  you,  old  distillery) 
And  here's  to  the  health  of  the  rosy,  posy 
Queen, 

And  here's  to  the  health  of  me.' 

"  'Come,  Chuck-Chucket,'  said  the 
Queen,  '  I  think  that  neither  your 
health  nor  mine  will  need  further 
encouragement.' 

"A  very  bald  pate  and  two  aston 
ished  eyes  appeared  slowly  at  the  top 
of  the  butter  ball,  like  the  head  of  a 
turtle  peeping  from  its  shell.  The 
gourd  was  dropped  into  the  hollow  of 
the  stump,  and  Chuck-Chucket,  roll- 

[34] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


ing  himself  into  a  position  that  would 
permit  him  to  look  below,  fastened 
inquisitive  eyes  upon  Peter. 

"  'Who's  this?'  he  asked,  and  instant 
ly  a  chorus  of  voices  cried,  'It's  Peter/ 

"  'Well,  well,'  said  Chuck-Chucket 
genially,  'I  say  it  would  be  only  decent 
to  drink  to  this  Peter/ 

"Then  all  the  countless  throng  of 
little  creatures,  hovering  in  the  air, 
extended  their  hands  cup-shape,  like 
the  most  exquisitely  tinted  shells,  and 
drank  the  nectar  of  the  moon. 

"Peter  fell  upon  his  knees  and  called 
to  them  in  passionate  whispers,  'Oh, 
fairies,  fairies,  let  me  be  one  of  you  !' 

"The  little  hands  were  emptied  at 
the  parted  lips,  and  the  throng  settled 
to  the  earth  like  a  contented  sigh. 
The  Queen  dropped  upon  Peter's 

[35] 


&       Peter  and  'The  Fairies       «J* 

shoulder,  and,  putting  her  hands  to 
his  lips,  left  upon  them  the  taste  of 
the  moonlight. 

"  'Dear  Peter,'  she  said,  'you  are  as 
much  one  of  us  as  a  boy  can  be.' 

"She  made  herself  comfortable  on 
his  shoulder,  saying,  *  Here  will  I  make 
my  throne.' 

"This  did  not  sound  at  all  strange 
to  him,  for  the  words  of  the  fairies, 
like  their  forms,  carry  their  own 
lights  with  them. 

"The  sound  of  the  murmuring 
voices  revealed  to  Peter  the  secret  of 
the  mystery  of  the  night.  A  sigh  of 
winds  announced  the  arrival  or  depar 
ture  of  groups  bound  for  the  succor 
of  distressed  fireflies  that  had  been 
beaten  to  the  ground  by  a  gust  of 
rain,  or  returning  from  the  wheat 
[36! 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


fields  after  filling  the  heads  with  grain. 
There  were  companies  dressed  in 
white  and  gold,  with  vests  of  crimson, 
carrying  little  bags  of  pollen,  work 
men  of  the  field  and  highway.  There 
were  songs  of  fruit  and  odors  of  the 
oil  of  nuts.  Here  and  there  a  com 
pany  of  fairies  laid  aside  their  gar 
ments  for  a  bath  in  the  dew. 

"At  the  summons  of  the  Queen,  a 
rosy  maiden  still  shining  with  the  dew 
alighted  on  Peter's  knee,  that  he  might 
see  how  exquisite  is  the  form  and  how 
radiant  the  hues  of  purity  and  joy. 

"There  was  a  sudden  rush  of  wings 
and  a  band  of  fairies  poured  from  an 
opening  in  the  hillside,  bearing  aloft 
a  salver  heaped  with  pearls  as  large 
as  peas.  The  salver  was  borne  swiftly 
three  times  around  the  grove,  while 

[37] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


all  the  multitude  shouted.  It  was 
borne  to  where  Peter  sat  with  the 
Queen  upon  his  shoulders.  Those 
who  carried  the  salver  alighted  on  his 
knees,  holding  it  aloft  on  their  hands. 
Peter  saw  the  heap  of  pearls.  Their 
beauty  was  greater  than  the  eye  alone 
could  perceive.  Having  once  beheld 
them,  they  became  a  possession  of  the 
soul.  A  second  company  of  fairies 
brought  a  purse  and  held  it  open, 
while  the  Queen  dropped  the  pearls 
into  it.  When  the  purse  was  filled 
she  handed  it  to  Peter,  saying: 

"  'I  place  these  in  your  hands.  He 
who  possesses  them  will  desire  noth 
ing.  But  they  will  be  yours  only 
when  you  part  with  them.  Those 
that  remain  in  the  purse  will  be  to 
you  only  as  pebbles.  Bestow  or  spend 
[38] 


Peter  and  'The  Fairies 


them  all,  dear  Peter,  or  they  will  be 
come  a  burden.' 

"The  purse  was  placed  in  his  hands, 
and  Peter  knew  that  he  held  enough 
treasure  to  enrich  the  world. 

"'And  now,  let  me  go,'  said  he 
eagerly,  'for  early  in  the  morning, 
I  would  give  one  to  Jacob,  that  he 
may  not  lose  his  house  and  garden; 
and  one  to  my  uncle,  that  he  may 
not  strive  any  more  for  the  possessions 
of  others.  I  will  give  one  to  my 
mother,  so  that  she  will  no  longer 
want  for  everything  in  the  shops;  and 
one  to  my  father,  that  he  may  have 
the  happiness  of  giving  it  to  her  also. 
I  will  give  one  to  the  little  girl  who 
woke  me  with  her  songs,  because 
—  because  —  and  then  there  are  all 
the  others  in  the  town  to  supply,  so 

[393 


Peter  and  'The  Fairies 


that  by  another  night  I  will  not  have 
a  pearl  left.' 

"'If  thirsty  at  night,'  called  a  mel 
low  voice,  'remember  there  is  nothing 
like  a  pull  of  moonshine.  By  day  you 
need  not  go  thirsty,  for  everything  con 
ceals  a  spigot,  if  you  know  where  to 
look  for  it.' 

"  Peter  looked  up,  and  saw  Chuck- 
Chucket  ogling  him  kindly  from  the 
tree  stump.  He  held  a  bowl,  half  his 
own  size,  between  his  outstretched 
legs,  and  a  dripping  ladle  in  his  hand, 
containing  some  exceedingly  luscious 
little  balls  and  overflowing  with  a 
savory  liquid. 

'"If  you  are  ever  hungry  and  de 

serted,'  he  said,  after  swallowing  the 

contents  of  the  ladle,  'open  your  mouth 

and  I  will  drop  into  it,  wherever  you 

[40] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


are,  a  large  number  of  fat  dew  dump 
lings,  swimming  in  the  odor  of  cin 
namon. 

"He  waved  his  ladle  in  a  manner 
expressive  of  great  liberality  and  friend 
liness  and  dipped  it  deep  into  the  bowl 
again. 

"So  Peter  returned  the  next  morn 
ing  to  the  town  with  more  wealth  in 
his  possession  than  could  be  recorded 
in  all  his  uncle's  ledgers. 

"  Those  who  have  looked  from  their 
bower  of  youth  upon  the  great  world 
before  them,  and  felt  the  joy  of  a  mis 
sion  of  love,  will  know  the  beauty  of 
that  morning  to  Peter  as  he  entered 
the  town  to  set  all  things  right  at 
once." 

This  was  the  conclusion,  and  I 
stopped. 

[41  1 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


"  Is  that  all  ?  "  asked  Nancy. 

"Yes." 

"And  what  became  of  Peter?" 

"I  wish  I  knew.  I  think  we  won 
der  about  that  more  and  more  as  we 
grow  older.  We  all  seem  to  lose  him 
somewhere  between  six  and  seventeen. 
Some  cling  to  him  longer,  but  we  lose 
him  in  the  end.  This  is  a  fine  view 
from  your  windows.  The  men  who 
own  these  buildings  and  those  who 
are  toiling  in  them  have  all  known  this 
little  Peter,  and  something  of  the  mem 
ory  remains.  These  memories  consti 
tute  the  soul  of  the  city,  in  visible,  work 
ing  as  the  fairies  and  the  angels  work, 
through  all  we  do.  New  York  is  the 
fairest  of  our  cities,  approaching  nearer 
to  a  spectacle  of  fairyland,  because  to 
it  have  come  in  greater  number  those 

[42  ] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


to  whom  Peter  has  been  most  real. 
The  vast  enterprises  centered  here  have 
required  imagination,  sentiment,  and 
the  stuff  of  dreams.  The  souls  of  many 
artists,  poets,  and  musicians  have  been 
marooned  on  Wall  street.*' 

Nancy  gave  me  a  glance  of  pleased 
surprise. 

"You  really  believe  that?" 

"I  do." 

"I  wish  I  could." 

"Why  don't  you?" 

"I  will." 

As  she  was  looking  over  the  manu 
script  for  correction,  she  read  aloud  the 
passages  that  pleased  her  most. 

"And  what  became  of  the  little  girl 
at  the  window?"  she  asked. 

"She  is  somewhere  putting  ribbons 
in  her  hair,  and  singing  still." 

[43  1 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


She  smiled  and  looked  at  me  for  a 
moment,  when,  behold,  out  of  her  eyes 
peered  the  little  girl,  as  if  coming  from 
the  shadows  of  a  room. 

"I  think,"  I  said  impulsively,  "that 
I  see  her  now." 

"I  had  almost  forgotten,"  she  said 
softly,"that  she  was  there." 

"Don't  forget  her,"  I  said.  "She  is 
worth  more  than  the  clever  woman." 

Nancy  leaned  a  little  toward  me, 
across  the  arm-rest  of  the  desk. 

"There  is  a  prudence,"  says  Emer 
son,  "  which  asks  but  one  question  of 
anything,  'Will  it  bake  bread?'" 

She  opened  a  drawer  in  her  desk 
and  took  out  Mr.  Emerson. 

"  'The  Islander,'  she  read,  'may 
ramble  all  day  at  will.  At  night  he 
may  sleep  on  a  mat,  under  the  moon; 

[44] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


and  wherever  a  wild  date  tree  grows, 
nature  has,  without  a  prayer  even, 
spread  a  table  for  his  evening  meal.'  ' 

She  looked  up  at  me  and  said:  "I 
have  often  longed  to  be  an  Islander, 
haven't  you?" 

"Then  she  read:  'The  Northerner 
is,  perforce,  a  householder.  He  must 
brew,  salt  and  preserve  his  food.  He 
must  pile  up  wood  and  coal."  She 
looked  at  me. 

"How  much  of  what  you  make," 
I  asked,  "is  spent  for  these  things?" 

She  laughed  and  turned  over  the 
pages. 

"'Why  are  health,  beauty  and  gen 
ius  the  exception,  now?'  she  read. 
1  We  have  violated  law  upon  law  until 
we  stand  amid  the  ruins.  ...  In 
the  noon  and  afternoon  of  life  we 

[45  1 


A*        Peter  and  The  Fairies        & 

still  throb  at  the  recollection  of  days 
when  happiness  was  not  happy  enough, 
and  when  the  day  was  not  long  enough 
but  the  night  must  be  consumed  in 
keen  recollections.  When  the  head 
boiled  all  night  on  the  pillow  with 
the  generous  deed  it  resolved  on; 
when  the  moonlight  was  a  pleasant 
fever;  when  the  stars  were  letters,  and 
the  flowers  ciphers,  and  the  air  was 
coined  into  song;  when  all  business 
seemed  an  impertinence  and  all  the 
men  and  women  running  to  and  fro  in 
the  streets  mere  pictures.' ' 

And  so  we  talked  and  read  and  talk 
ed  for  hours,  until  the  great  clock  on 
the  New  York  Life  building  struck  five, 
and  it  was  time  for  Nancy's  girls  to  go. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  Sun 
day?"  I  asked. 

[  46] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


She  hesitated  a  moment,  for  the 
first  time,  and  for  the  first  time  did 
not  look  frankly  at  me. 

"I  have  an  engagement  to  go  sail 
ing,"  she  said,  and,  after  a  moment, 
"what  are  you  going  to  do?" 

"I  am  going  on  my  wheel  some 
where." 

"Do  you  care  where?" 

"No." 

"Well,"  she  said,  "if  you  will  be  at 
the  head  of  Bedford  avenue  at  nine 
o'clock,  I  will  try  to  be  there.  I  will 
break  that  engagement  if  I  can." 

She  asked  one  of  the  girls  to  stay 
with  her  to  finish  the  orders  that  were 
promised.  As  the  others  were  leaving, 
the  sounds  of  feminine  rustling,  of 
pleasant  voices  making  adieux,  re 
minded  me  of  the  exit  from  a  tea 

t47l 


Peter  and  'The  Fairies 


party.  When  they  were  gone  Nancy 
stood  before  me,  a  look  of  astute  de 
termination  in  her  eyes. 

"When  I'm  a  man  —  a  man,"  she 
said,  "I  will  do  as  I  have  a  mind  to, 
if  I  can  —  and  I  can." 

"Then  you  will  be  there  Sunday?" 

"Yes." 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  to 
night?" 

"Work." 

"And  to-morrow?" 

She  looked  at  me  inquiringly. 

"  Work."  And,  after  a  moment,  "I 
suppose." 

"Let's  not  wait  until  Sunday." 

"That  would  be  foolish,"  she  said. 

"Where  shall  we  go?" 

"Anywhere  out  of  the  city." 

Shelooked  from  her  window  toward 
[48  ] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


the  distant  Palisades.  "We  might  go 
there.  Do  you  know,"  she  added,  "I 
pay  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  extra 
rent  for  the  view  of  them,  and  yet  I 
have  never  been  there.  That's  true." 

"And  we  can  do  it  for  ten  cents." 

She  laughed  merrily,  and  then  said 
briskly,  "Well,  now,  I  must  get  to 
work." 

But  I  did  not  go. 

She  made  a  cup  of  tea  and  boiled 
some  eggs  on  a  little  gas  stove  in  the 
inner  room,  and  from  a  closet  took 
graham  bread,  fruit,  cream,  and  nuts. 
The  girl  who  had  remained  to  help 
seemed  to  think  it  a  privilege. 

The  meal  was  served  and  eaten, 
the  dishes  washed  and  put  away.  The 
hours  passed  like  minutes. 

I  put  the  sheets  from  the  mimeo- 

[49] 


Peter  and  The  Fairies 


graph  between  the  blotters  as  Nancy, 
with  her  sleeves  turned  up,  swiftly 
rolled  them  off. 

At  eight  o'clock  Miss  Brewster  left 
us,  but  it  was  past  midnight  when  the 
work  was  done. 

Hand  in  hand,  we  walked  down 
Broadway,  stopped  to  watch  the  foun 
tain  in  the  City  Hall  Park,  playing  in 
the  moonlight,  and  then  slowly  to  the 
bridge. 

"I  have  been  a  long  time  looking 
for  you,  I  said. 

She  answered  quietly,  "And  I  for 
you." 


So] 


HERE  ends  this  tale,  Peter  and  The  Fairies,  by 
Arthur  Henry,  which  originally  appeared  .in 
Lodgings  in  Town  (New  York:  A.  S.  Barnes  & 
Company:  1905)  and  is  now  given  this  form  with 
the  courteous  permission  of  author  and  publishers, 
and  issued  through  the  BROTHERS  OF  THE  BOOK, 
during  March,  1913.  Printed  by  R.  R.  Donnelley 
&  Sons  Company,  at  The  Lakeside  Press,  Chicago. 


Incipit  Vita  Nova 


DC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A  A      000011977    6 


